PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Caldwell College men's basketball team dropped a close Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game at Chestnut Hill College, 86-84 Saturday afternoon at Sorgenti Arena. The Cougars, who erased a 22-point deficit in the second half, are now 6-3 overall, including a 3-2 mark in the conference. The Griffins (9-3) remain atop the CACC South Division with a 4-0 league record.
Chestnut Hill dominated the first half, shooting 57.1 percent from the field in building a commanding 52-33 halftime lead. Mark DiRugeris struck for 19 points while making 8-of-9 from the floor in the first half for the Griffins.
The lead grew to 57-35 a little over two minutes into the second half before the Cougars began their comeback. Over the next 14 minutes, Caldwell outscored the Griffins by a margin of 40-17 to come all the way back and take a 75-74 advantage with four minutes to play. The Cougars made an impressive 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the field during the run, hitting eight shots in a row at one point. Senior guards Nikola Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) and Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) each hit two three-pointers.
Five free throws allowed Chestnut Hill to claim an 81-77 lead with 2:38 left. Again Caldwell bounced back, forcing three empty possessions for the Griffins while getting three points from freshman forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) and a lay-up by Otovic to lead 82-81 with a minute to go. On the next possession, Brandon Williams hit a big three-pointer to put the Griffins on top 84-82 with 30 seconds remaining. After a lay-up attempt by senior center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) rolled off the rim, DiRugeris made two free throws to put the game out of reach.
Caldwell shot 59.8 percent from the field in the second half while outscoring the Griffins 30-8 in the paint after halftime. Otovic scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half and added five assists and three steals. Balkovic matched Otovic with 18 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for his second career double-double. Gill finished with 13 points and four assists, freshman guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) had 12 points, five assists and two steals, and freshman guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) contributed six points and four steals in 14 minutes. DiRugeris led all players with 28 points for Chestnut Hill, which recorded its 100th all-time victory.
Caldwell hosts St. Michael's College on Saturday, Dec. 17 in a non-conference contest. The game starts at 1:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center
